The gingival Stillman's clefts: histopathology and cellular characteristics.

AIM OF THE STUDY Stillman's cleft is a mucogingival triangular-shaped defect on the buccal surface of a root with unknown etiology and pathogenesis. The aim of this study is to examine the Stillman's cleft obtained from excision during root coverage surgical procedures at an histopathological level. MATERIALS AND METHOD Harvesting of cleft was obtained from two periodontally healthy patients with a scalpel and a bevel incision and then placed in a test tube with buffered solution to be processed for light microscopy. RESULTS Microscopic analysis has shown that Stillman's cleft presented a lichenoid hand-like inflammatory infiltration, while in the periodontal patient an inflammatory fibrous hyperplasia was identified. CONCLUSION Stillman's cleft remains to be investigated as for the possible causes of such lesion of the gingival margin, although an inflammatory response seems to be evident and active from a strictly histopathological standpoint.